Pencil.



C. A. SMITH.

PENCIL.

APPLICATION men NOV. 6. 19M.

Patentedluly 17, 1917 INVENTOR ATTORNEY CHARLES A. SMITH, or E'HILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR ro BLAIDSDELL PAPER PENoIL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

PENCIL.

teasers.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17,1917.

Application filed November 6, 1914. Serial No. 870,692.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OIIAnLEs A. SMITH, a citizen. of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Pencils, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a construction of pencil wherein successive strips or sections of the wrapper expose successive portions of the lead or crayon, and in which, moreover, the act of removal of one strip or section of the wrapper provides an exposed free edge upon the next adjacent strip or section of the wrapper under which the nail of the finger may be readily inserted for freeing the outermost portion of said next adjacent strip or section to cause the ready removal thereof.

In paper pencils asheretofore constructed, the wrappers have been so formed and tightly wound that there have been no sufficiently exposed edges by which the starting of the detachment of the strip or section to be removed could be accomplished, and it frequently happens that it was practically impossible for the fingers to liberate the strip unaided by a knife, pin or other metallic instrument; and it is particularly my object to overcome this difficulty in paper pencils whereby they may with facility be repointed.

My invention consists of certain improvements in pencils in which thebody portion is formed of a spirally wound wrapper of paper or other sheet material so constructed that successive portions of the wrapper may be unwound and removed at will and in doing so bring into exposed condition a free edge upon the wrapper whereby the same may be readily engaged with the finger nail for removing the strips, said construction being fully described hereinafter and more particularly defined in the claim.

In the drawings: Figure 1 represents a wrapper for a pencil embodying my invention; Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of a portion of a pencil showing the preferred embodiment of my invention.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts.

1 designates a sheet of paper or like suitable material adapted to form the body of a pencil when wrapped about the lead-in the proper manner. In order to build up the form a plurality of parallel strips *l which exv tend from one side of the sheet to the other, the said scorings 3 serving to weaken the material so that the strips may be readily detached as desired. In the assembled article, therefore, as each strip is unwound and detached a new portion of the lead 5 is exposed for use so that the pencil is resharpened without the use of a knife or like implement. In the preferred embodiment of my invention I have provided a plurality of slots or apertures 6 arranged in two rows, the slots of one row being staggered with respect to the slots of the other row and each aperture being positioned to intersect one of the transverse scorings 3. Thus, as shown in Fig. 1, one row is formed by apertures which intersect alternate score lines while the opposite row is similarly formed by its apertures intersecting the remaining alternate score lines.

It will further be noted that the apertures of one row are so dimensioned and arranged with respect to adjacent apertures of the next row that any tearing of the strip,

transverse to the axis of the pencil, will intersect one of the apertures and thus shift the tear to the score 3 by which the particular strip is attached to the next strip. In other words, each aperture is of sufiicient length to lie in the path of a transverse tear starting from the adjacent aperture so that under substantially all conditions the detaching of one strip insures a clean tear along the score line and leaves a free edge on the next adjacent strip to permit it to be readily taken hold of and detached.

In connection with these apertures it will be noted that as each strip is torn off or removed from the body it leaves the remaining strip with an open ended aperture forming a distinct angular corner 7 which forms a positive and elfective means for taking hold of the strip to initially start the unwrapping action.

The operation of repointing the pencil will be apparent from Fig. 2 and takes place as fo1lows.-The finger nail may be used to readily pick the corner 7 loose so that it can be gripped by thefingers, after which the strip is unwound by tearing it transversely to the adjacent aperture, and at this point the tear is: transferred to the score line so that the strip is separated along the definite line provided and leaves a clean out free edge on the next strip. In view of the spiral wind the detaching of the strip exposes a new portion of the lead and the pencil is ready for use.

In describing the detaching of the strips from the body of the material I have referred to the free edge left on one strip by the removal of another strip, and it will be noted that this is possible in view of the factthat the adhesive or glue 8 which is employed to secure the end of the strip to the body does not extend over the portion of the material in which the apertures are located. It will thus be evident that, in building up the body by wrapping the sheet forming the strips around the lead, there is no adhesive between the contacting surfaces tear which will extend into the lower edge of. the next adjacent aperture, thereby exosin a free ed 'e or corner on the next.

adjacent. strip orsection, and a continuance ofthetearwillextend along the scored line '3' opening from this second aperture into which the tear is. extended.v In the case of c Fig. 2 it is manifest that the tear will exopies 0.1 hispat nt ay b obtained for five cents each,

tend from the top of one aperture to the bottom of the next and will thence continue on to the scored line 3.

I have shown the preferred form of my invention and while the construction shown is preferred I do not restrict myself to the minor details except as they are set forth in the claim as these may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is v In a lead pencil device of the character stated, a body formed of a sheet of material wound spirally about the lead and retained in wrapped condition, said sheet having a plurality of parallel scored lines transversely to the length of the pencil, and also provided adjacent to its outer edge with a plurality of apertures arranged along the length of the pencil in two parallel rows, each scored line crossed by a different aperture and successive scored lines crossed by apertures alternately of each parallel row, whereby an aperture from each row will extend in opposite directions from adjacent scored lines into the same transverse strip of material between the scored lines, the construction being such that by tearing the strip transversely to the axis of the pencilofrom the upper end of any aperture of one row, such tear will intersect the aperture of the other row and through it continue along the scored line extending from a said aperture.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

OHARLES A. SMITH. Witnesses:

R. M. HUNTER, FLORENCE DEACON.

by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O. 

